Forgiveness Goes Both Ways
by FirstFandomFangirl
Summary: A Mother's Day oneshot. Misako feels guilty about leaving Lloyd in Darkley's, and isn't able to celebrate Mother's Day because of it.


**Happy Mother's Day y'all :)**

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Mother's Day was not one of Misako's favorite holidays.

The grey-haired woman leaned out the Bounty's window as the sun peeked over the faraway horizon, dreading the moment that she would be obliged to go out and join the others for breakfast, to accept their wishes of "happy mother's day". It wasn't, and it hadn't been, not for many years.

Dropping Lloyd off at Darkley's was the hardest – and the worst – decision she had ever made. Not only was she placing her son, barely more than a toddler, into a boarding school away from everything and everyone he had ever known, but it was an _evil_ boarding school on top of that. At the time, she had figured that in a normal boarding school he would be bullied for his relation to Garmadon, a villain, but it might bring him respect in a school governed by evil.

Now, she wished she had put him somewhere better, or just raised him herself. Though her research had been demanding, she could've taken care of him, couldn't she? Or given him to a friend to raise, such as Kai and Nya's parents. He could've grown up with them instead. Or even Wu, he was perfectly capable of taking care of her son as well. Oh, there were so many better options, why hadn't she gone with one of them instead? Why put him in – of all places – an evil boarding school?

Recently, she had overheard him admit to the others that he was still haunted by his time at Darkley's. While not as frequent as the ones about his many near-death experiences, she had heard him talking about a nightmare he had endured that took place in the boarding school, of being bullies and ridiculed. Knowing that her actions had caused her son to be plagued with yet another category of nightmares made this Mother's Day even worse than the ones before it.

In fact, all of his nightmares were her fault. If he hadn't felt pressured to be evil, he wouldn't have freed the serpentine, which lead to Garmadon getting the golden weapons, while lead to the Overlord being released, which lead to Zane's death, which lead to the ninja's involvement in Chen's tournament, which lead to Garmadon's banishment, which lead to Morro's release. All of it, every last bit, could've been avoided if she had kept Lloyd, or left him with a friend. He would still have to be the green ninja, it was his destiny, but perhaps he wouldn't have gone through so much pain.

Her depressed thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her door, and she turned from the window, calling,

"Come in." The door creaked open to reveal Lloyd, holding one hand out of sight.

"Hey Mom." He pulled his other hand into view, revealing a lovely bouquet of flowers. "Happy Mother's Day!" She managed a small smile, crossing the room and accepting the bouquet.

"Thank you, sweetie. They're beautiful." She cradled the flowers in one arm, smiling at him. He smiled back, but his eyes narrowed slightly and his grin faded.

"You look sad."

"Do I?" She turned away, taking a vase from the table and busying herself arranging the flowers in it.

"You're sad." Her son said, more assuredly this time. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no." She turned to face him again, shaking her head. "You've done nothing wrong. It's me that messed up."

"About what?" Lloyd took a step closer.

"It's not important."

"If it's upsetting you, you should tell somebody."

"I…" she hesitated, then sighed. "Alright." She sank down in a chain, looking at the ground. "I haven't been a very good mother to you."

"Yes you have!" The blond argued instantly.

"No, I really haven't." She kept going before he could interrupt. "I put you in an evil boarding school when you were three, where you were bullied and tormented, so I didn't have to raise you myself. Even after you became the green ninja, I stayed hidden away in the museum, not revealing myself until Wu bumped into me. I didn't want to face you after what I did. And what I did was the cause of everything you've gone through, from the serpentine to the ghosts. If I had not enrolled you in Darkley's, none of that would've been set in motion. The Devourer would never awaken. The Overlord would never kill Zane. Your father would still be alive." She fell silent, waiting for Lloyd to process all this. Realize what she had done.

"But he would still be evil." He said at last. Misako tilted her head.

"What?"

"My dad. He would still be evil. If what you say is true, that none of that would've happened, my dad would still be in that evil Realm right now, cooking up more ways to conquer Ninjago. Now he's in the Departed Realm, but he's good, and safe. I won't see him for a hundred years, but that's better than him trying to kill me and everyone I love." As she struggled to find a response for that, he continued. "You're not a bad mom. You're the best mom I could ever ask for."

"That's because you've never known anything better." Misako smiled sadly.

"But why does that matter? All I've ever known is you, and you're the best mom I could ask for. If you're already perfect, why do I need someone better?" She stared at him for a few seconds, not sure how to answer him. "Mom, you can't change the past. But you don't have to hold onto it. I've forgiven you for putting me there. Now you have to forgive yourself." He knelt in front of her, putting a hand on her knee. "It's Mother's Day. You should be happy. Don't let your past mistakes make you feel down." After a few moments of stunned silence, she gave him a small smile – a genuine one this time.

"You're right. It is time to let go." She leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you."

"No problem." He squeezed her back before standing up. "C'mon. Zane's cooking something, and it smells really good."

"Alright, dear." The elderly woman followed her son out through the doorway and down the hall, the small smile not leaving her face. Perhaps this year, she would finally have a happy Mother's Day.

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 **I hope you enjoyed this lovely story about lloyd and his bad mom**

 **~FFF**


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